Abolition - Hang the Bastard - split - 7

Labels: Disposable Culture
Review by: I.P.

This is an interesting time for UKHC. Dead & Gone Records, one of the leading UKHC record labels of the past decade, shut shop last week. The label left behind an unrivalled legacy, releasing a vast musical output which will be near impossible to follow. That won’t stop “˜the kids’ from trying.



Step up Abolition, a young band drenched in the chuggy world of Trial, who’ve adopted the visceral rage of Chokehold and lyrical ire of “˜90s metalcore bands such as Culture. See: “˜No Remorse’. ‘Worn Thin’, on the other hand, contains flashes of the quirky grooves of Atlas Shrugged, which I can only hope will materialise in the band’s future material. Great stuff!



On the flipside, Hang The Bastard have clearly been dipping their toes into Integrity’s back catalogue. With a plethora of UK bands such as Rot In Hell and Wayfarer already abiding by the Clevo regime, HTB are a welcome addition for followers of the formula. That said, there are traces of Kickback’s snarling vocals and discordant riffs in “˜Most Will Swim on a Lake of Fire’, and “˜Cavern’ is an equally menacing effort.



This is an impressive record which points towards an exciting future in the post-Dead & Gone era. Contrary to HTB’s obsession with the ‘lake of fire’, the UKHC apocalypse isn’t upon us just yet.